Apparatus for continuously separating and discharging heavy foreign matters from beets

ABSTRACT

There is described an apparatus comprising a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream, arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path, the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a device for recovering and discharging foreign matters from the wheel, said device being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.

United States Patent [1 1 Bausier June 3,1975

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING AND DISCHARGING HEAVY FOREIGN MATTERS FROM BEETS [75] Inventor: Andre Henri Bausier, St. Jean Geest, Belgium [73] Assignee: Rafiinerie Tirlemontoise, Brussels,

Belgium [22] Filed: Oct. 1, 1974 211 App]. No.2 510,968

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 12, 1973 Belgium 807191 [52] US. Cl. 209/158; 209/17; 209/458; 209/288 [51] Int. Cl 1303b 3/34 [53] Field of Search 209/155, 458, 157-161,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,474,284 11/1923 Olney 209/18 X 2,521,152 9/1950 Davis 209/159 X 2,586,846 2/1952 McNerny.. 209/155 X 2,698,087 12/1954 Call et a1. 209/158 Primary ExaminerFrank W. Lutter Assistant Examiner-Ralph .1. Hill Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn, & Macpeak [57] ABSTRACT There is described an apparatus comprising a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream, arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path, the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a device for recovering and discharging foreign matters from the wheel, said device being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING AND DISCHARGING HEAVY FOREIGN MATTERS FROM BEETS This invention relates to an apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matters from beets or similar articles which are conveyed by floating inside a trough. which comprises at a break in the trough. a pocket lying below the trough level and means for generating a rising liquid stream inside said pocket.

In the known apparatus of this kind, the rising water stream has an adjustable flow rate to prevent the beets going down into the pocket while allowing stones and sands to fall down therein. The stones and sands which have fallen inside the pocket are discharged through various means; it is for instance possible to fit the pocket bottom with a lock comprising an inlet valve and an outlet valve; it is further possible to arrange at the pocket bottom a device for raising continuously the stones, such as a scraper chain, a bucket elevator, a raising screw or a side elevator wheel.

The known apparatus having various drawbacks due to the means which are to be used for discharging stones and sands from the pocket; in that case where the pocket is fitted with a lock, the stone and sand dis- Charge causes simultaneously the discharge of a substantial amount of water which has to be separated every time, which requires additional equipment. In that case where the pocket is fitted with a device for raising stones and sands, the mechanical discharge members work in a liquid loaded with sands and undergo a fast wearing out.

ln the case where the discharge device comprises a side elevator wheel, said wheel is of large size which makes the unit cumbersome and costly.

Finally with all of these solutions, there is a danger of jamming the discharge devices when a stone remains engaged between the fixed lower part of the pocket and the movable part of the member for discharging stones and sands.

There is also known a continuous stone and sand removing machine comprising a rotating perforated drum arranged inside the trough break and through which pass the beets to be cleaned; the drum has on the inner circumferential surface and the outer circumferential surface thereof, spiral vanes for conveying stones and sand towards elevator pockets formed on the circumference of that drum end facing the trough upstream side along the beet conveying direction. In this known device, the pockets are used but for conveying stones and sands which have already been separated inside the drum.

Said apparatus has consequently the drawback of those apparatus which are not provided with means for activating the separation of foreign matters from the beets and there results therefrom the impossibility of adjusting the separating speed which results in an unsuitable working, particularly as regards the separation of small stones.

This invention has for object an apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matters from beet, of the so-called pocket-type, inside which is generated a rising liquid stream and which does not have the drawbacks of the known apparatus. The imvention has also for object and apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matters from beet, which allows a high separation speed and which is adjustable.

For this purpose the apparatus according to the invention comprises a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream. arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path. the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a device for recovering and discharging foreign matters from the wheel, said device being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus comprises at the break in the trough. a tank which is connected by both ends thereof, to the upstream portion and to the downstream portion respectively of the trough, the pocket wheel being arranged inside the tank and the axis thereof being in parallel relationship with the beet flow inside the trough.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pocket wheel is extended on that side facing the trough downstream portion, by an axial perforated drum which is open at both ends thereof.

Other objects and features of the invention will stand out from the description given below by way of non limitative example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic elevation view with parts broken away, of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic end view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the pocket wheel and of some components associated therewith, of the apparatus shown in H6. l.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show diagrammatically the relation between the liquid inlet area of a pocket and the liquid outlet area of said pocket at two succeeding times of the rotating wheel rotation.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic showing similar to FIGS. 4 and 5, of the relation between the liquid inlet area of a pocket and the liquid outlet area from said pocket, in the case of another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

In the various figures, the same reference numerals pertain to similar elements.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises essentially a rotating wheel 1 provided on the circumference thereof with inner pockets or buckets 2; the wheel 1 with buckets 2 is extended with a concentric perforated drum 3 which is open at both ends thereof. Said drum 3 is fast to the wheel 1. The unit comprised of the wheel 1 and the drum 3 is mounted on a driving shaft 4 which extends in parallel relationship with the beet flow as shown by arrow 45 and which is located inside a tank 5 which connects at the front and back when considering the beet conveying direction, to the upstream portion 6 and the downstream portion 7 of the trough for hydraulic transport of the beets, the wheel 1 being arranged on the upstream side 6. The shaft 4 of wheel 1 is supported by bearings 8 and r0- tated by a motor-transmission unit 9 mounted on tank 5, above the top level of said trough.

The pockets 2 in the wheel 1 open on that wheel side 10 facing the upstream portion 6 of the trough to let in water recycled from the tank 5 and which enters the pockets through a group of diffusers 11 to generate a rising liquid stream; the pockets 2 further open on that side 12 facing the wheel centre to let out the liquid supplied by the diffusers and to let foreign matters enter the pocket when said pocket passes through the bottom portion of the wheel path and also to let the foreign matters out through a discharge device 13 as the pocket passes through the top portion of the wheel path.

In the embodiment shown in more detail in FIG. 3, the pockets are formed by the inner partitioning of the wheel by means of a series of separating partitions l4 equally spaced from one another, which extend from the outer cylindrical casing 15 towards the wheel centre. Moreover the partitions 14 extend from that edge 16 of the outer cylindrical casing 15 facing the upstream portion 6 of the trough to a ring-like wall 17 which lies generally at right angle to the wheel axis and which extends from the edge 18 of the outer cylindrical casing 15 to a series of wall parts 19 equally spaced from one another. Said wall parts 19 bound a wheel cylindrical surface which is concentric with the outer cylindrical casing 15, the wall parts 19 being spaced from one another by intervals 20. Each wall part 19 forms between said part and a part 46 of partition 14, a bucket 47. Each bucket 47 is bounded on the one hand by said wall part 19 and a partition part 48 with which said wall part 19 forms an acute angle, said wall part 48 being made fast in the extension of part 46 of partition 14, and on the other hand on that side opposite the ring-like wall 17, each bucket 47 is bounded by a triangular side plate 49.

The device 12 for discharging stones and sands comprises a hopper 21 arranged inside the wheel, which supplies a chute 22.

The diameter of drum 3 is equal to the wheel inner diameter, that is to the inner diameter of the ring-like wall 17 of the wheel to which it is made fast. Underneath the drum 3 and over the whole length thereof, the bottom of tank 5 forms a water hopper 23 which is connected to a recirculation piping 24 which brings the water recovered by means of a variable-speed pump 25 driven by a meter unit 50, in front of the bucket wheel bottom portion.

The piping 24 ends with two diffusers 26 and 27 which are spaced by a distance which is equal to the width of the wall parts 19. The liquid outlet area of the diffusers is so sized that the water inlet area for that pocket passing in front of the diffusers be at any time proportional to the water outlet area from said pocket. For this purpose, a fixed baffle 28 is arranged inside the wheel adjacent the wall parts 19, in that wheel zone where the pockets 2 go past the diffuser 26.

Indeed when considering the pockets 29 and 31 of wheel 1 with reference to the FIGS. 4 and 5, it will be noticed that for pocket 29, the size of that space or interval available for letting out the liquid supplied by the diffuser 26, increases progressively as the pocket 29 moves in front of the first diffuser 26 along the wheel rotation direction as shown by arrow 30. The space available for letting the rising stream out has been designated by a in FIG. 4 and by b in FIG. 5.

When the pocket 29 will go beyond the position thereof shown in FIG. 5 and the back partition (shown in 14) will begin passing in front of diffuser 26, the front partition will begin passing in front of diffuser 27 so as to retain the proportionality between the liquid inlet and outlet areas for the pocket until the back pocket partition 14' has gone past the first diffuser 26.

The diffusers 26 and 27 open in a generally vertical ring-like wall part 32 which lies adjacent wheel edge 16; said wall 32 is provided with a shoulder 33 which engages inside notches 34 provided between the buckets 47 and wheel edge 16. Said shoulder 33 deflects the liquid stream from the diffusers 26,27 towards the outlet passageways 20 of the wheel pockets as shown by arrows in FIG. 3.

The beets, stones and sands conveyed inside the trough enter the pocket wheel 1. The beets are retained floating due to the action of the rising water stream generated by the muddy water passing through the perforated drum 3 into the water hopper 23 which from said water is pumped in the recirculation piping 24. The recycled water flow rate is adjusted by varying the rotation speed of pump 25 in such a way as to adjust the rising water stream speed in the pockets to obtain a suitable separation of the stones and sands from the beets.

Due to the provision of the diffusers, it is insured that as soon as the openings 20 enter the stone-collecting area and during the complete travel thereof through said area, the speed of the rising water stream performing the separation will remain the same. The beets then pass into the back or downstream portion 7 of the trough.

The stones and sands the specific weight of which is heavier than the beet specific weight, fall through the passageways 20 of the pockets 2, on the solid bottom comprised of the wheel outer casing 15. The wheel rotation along the direction shown by arrow 30 brings said stones and sands to the wheel upper level where the stones and sands are discharged through those same passageways 20 into the stone and said hopper 21 which leads same to the chute 22.

In the changed embodiment shown in F IG. 6, the partitions 101 of wheel dividing same into pockets 102 are devoid of the bucket portion 47; in this embodiment it is not necessary to provide two diffusers. The single diffuser 126 has a length (measured along a circumference) which is longer than the length of one pocket 102 measured along the same circumference and besides the fixed baffle 128, there has been provided a baffle 150 level with the front end of diffuser 126 when considering the wheel rotation direction 130. Said baffle 150 is movable about a pivot 150 so as to avoid a stone being wedged between baffle 150 and the edge of the partition 101. The baffle 150 has for purpose to restrict the passage opening of a pocket as soon as it goes past the end 126' of diffuser 126 and thus when the liquid inlet area for said pocket is reduced.

It must be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the above embodiments and that many changes can be brought therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1 claim:

1. Apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matter from beets or similar articles which are conveyed by floating inside a trough, which comprises at a break in the trough, a pocket lying below the trough level and means for generating a rising liquid stream inside said pocket, said pocket comprising one of the pockets on a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the internal circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of said means for generating which comprises at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream, arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path. the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a means for recovering and discharging foreign matter from the wheel, said device being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which comprises at the break in the trough, a tank which is connected by both ends thereof, to the upstream portion and to the downstream portion respectively of the trough, the pocket wheel being arranged inside the tank and the axis thereof being in parallel relationship with the beet flow inside the trough.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with liquid generating a rising stream comprises at least one diffuser, and means for maintaining the liquid inlet passageway area of the diffuser in each pocket continuously proportional to the area of the rising liquid stream outlet from the pocket.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, which comprises a fixed baffle for closing the outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream from the succeeding pockets, said baffle being located in the bottom portion of the wheel path at a distance from the diffusers along the direction opposite to the wheel rotation direction which is so selected that during the wheel rotation in front of the diffuser, the liquid outlet passageway from the pocket will be progressively uncovered and the liquid outlet area be continuously proportional to the liquid inlet area from the diffuser into the pocket.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the diffuser has an oblong-shaped liquid outlet mouth with a length longer than a pocket length and a second baffle is provided in the bottom portion of the wheel path, at the location of that diffuser mouth end which is opposite the end facing the first baffle.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the rotating wheel comprises an outer cylindrical casing bounded on that side facing the trough downstream portion, by a radial ring-like partition, a series of inner partitions being made fast with a uniform spacing to the casing and the ring-like partition to form pockets, each pocket having both on that wheel side facing the trough upstream portion and on that side facing the wheel centre, a passageway the one passageway being used as inlet for the liquid supplied by the diffuser and the other passageway being used simultaneously as outlet for the liquid supplied by the diffuser, as inlet for the foreign matters towards the pocket when said pocket passes through the bottom portion of the wheel path. and as outlet for the foreign matters towards the discharge device when the pocket passes through the top portion of the wheel path.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which each inner partition comprises a projecting wall on the cylindrical casing and the ring-like partition, said wall ending at a distance from the ring-like partition inner edge, said wall being joined along the edge thereof facing the wheel centre, to a bucket formed between said edge and the inner edge of said ring-like partition.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which each partition is provided with a notch extending from the edge thereof facing the diffuser towards the ring-like partition and from the edge thereof facing the wheel centre towards the circumferential casing of the pocket wheel, said apparatus further comprising a baffle-plate for the rising liquid stream with a generally vertical wall adjacent the free edge of the pocket wheel cylindrical casing and a shoulder projecting inwardly of the wheel and which slidingly fits in the notches of said partitionmgs.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream comprises a pump with adjustable flow-rate.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream comprises a duct for recovering the liquid from the tank.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pocket wheel driving shaft is arranged above the trough top level.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the device for recovering and discharging the foreign matter comprises a hopper arranged inside the wheel and connected to a discharge chute arranged outside the wheel.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pocket wheel is extended on that side facing the trough upstream portion, by an axial perforated drum which is open at both ends thereof. 

1. Apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matter from beets or similar articles which are conveyed by floating inside a trough, which comprises at a break in the trough, a pocket lying below the trough level and means for generating a rising liquid stream inside said pocket, said pocket comprising one of the pockets on a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the internal circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of said means for generating which comprises at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream, arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path, the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a means for recovering and discharging foreign matter from the wheel, said devices being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.
 1. Apparatus for separating and discharging continuously heavy foreign matter from beets or similar articles which are conveyed by floating inside a trough, which comprises at a break in the trough, a pocket lying below the trough level and means for generating a rising liquid stream inside said pocket, said pocket comprising one of the pockets on a rotating wheel with pockets distributed over the internal circumference thereof, said wheel rotating in front of said means for generating which comprises at least one means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream, arranged on the lower portion of the wheel path, the pockets being provided with an outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream directed inside the wheel, the apparatus comprising moreover a means for recovering and discharging foreign matter from the wheel, said devices being arranged underneath the upper portion of the wheel path.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which comprises at the break in the trough, a tank which is connected by both ends thereof, to the upstream portion and to the downstream portion respectively of the trough, the pocket wheel being arranged inside the tank and the axis thereof being in parallel relationship with the beet flow inside the trough.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with liquid generating a rising stream comprises at least one diffuser, and means for maintaining the liquid inlet passageway area of the diffuser in each pocket continuously proportional to the area of the rising liquid stream outlet from the pocket.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, which comprises a fixed baffle for closing the outlet passageway for the rising liquid stream from the succeeding pockets, said baffle being located in the bottom portion of the wheel path at a distance from the diffusers along the direction opposite to the wheel rotation direction which is so selected that during the wheel rotation in front of the diffuser, the liquid outlet passageway from the pocket will be progressively uncovered and the liquid outlet area be continuously proportional to the liquid inlet area from the diffuser into the pocket.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which the diffuser has an oblong-shaped liquid outlet mouth with a length longer than a pocket length and a second baffle is provided in the bottom portion of the wheel path, at the location of that diffuser mouth end which is opposite the end facing the first baffle.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the rotating wheel comprises an outer cylindrical casing bounded on that side facing the trough downstream portion, by a radial ring-like partition, a series of inner partitions being made fast with a uniform spacing to the casing and the ring-like partition to form pockets, each pocket having both on that wheel side facing the trough upstream portion and on that side facing the wheel centre, a passageway the one passageway being used as inlet for the liquid supplied by the diffuser and the other passageway being used simultaneously as outlet for the liquid supplied by the diffuser, as inlet for the foreign matters towards the pocket when said pocket passes through the bottom portion of the wheel path, and as outlet for the foreign matters towards the discharge device when the pocket passes through the top portion of the wheel path.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, in which each inner partition comprises a projecting wall on the cylindrical casing and the ring-like partition, said wall ending at a distance from the ring-like partition inner edge, said wall being joined along the edge thereof facing the wheel centre, to a bucket formed between said edge and the inner edge of said ring-like partition.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which each partition is provided with a notch extending from the edge thereof facing the diffuser towards the ring-like partition and from the edge thereof facing the wheel centre towards the circumferential casing of the pocket wheel, said apparatus further comprising a baffle-plate for the rising liquid stream with a generally vertical wall adjacent the free edge of the pocket wheel cylindrical casing and a shoulder projecting inwardly of the wheel and which slidingly fits in the notches of said partitionings.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream comprises a pump with adjustable flow-rate.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for supplying the pockets with a rising liquid stream comprises a duct for recovering the liquid from the tank.
 11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the pocket wheel driving shaft is arranged above the trough top level.
 12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the device for recovering and discharging the foreign matter comprises a hopper arranged inside the wheel and connected to a discharge chute arranged outside the wheel. 